(A/N: A shorter chapter than recent. Hope you enjoy the bit of backstory! I hope everyone's holidays are full of fun!)

It had been five days since the Beeper Emporium had burned down and the Pataki's were beginning to feel the strain not only on their comfort, but on their finances as well. Even with the motel being the cheapest in the area, without a kitchen to be able to cook their own food, they were forced to order take-out daily. Day after day, money dwindled and with no news from the bank or the insurance company, Bob was at his wits end. He understood investigations took time. He understood that in order for him to get this insurance payout, he had to remain calm and patient but every moment of the day was being wasted with waiting. 'Time is money' he was brought up to believe and this only meant he was losing money daily that he could have been earning.

Miriam had done her best to point out possible jobs in the area, but Bob had refused them all.

"I created an Empire, Miriam! And you want me to stoop down and get a minimum wage job?" He shouted at the poor woman.

"It would just be until we're back on our feet, B…" She pleaded, holding today's newspaper in front of him.

"And how do you think that will make me look?" He growled as he crossed his arms in defiance. "I'll be the laughing stock of the whole city! I started my business from the bottom and built it to the very top! Going back to the docks and hauling freight would be going right back to square one." Shame lingered in his voice. How was he to know that beepers weren't going to last longer than they did? How was he to know that the wiring wasn't secured safely when he had one of his buddies rig it for him to get free utilities? It was all bad luck and showing off his weakness to everyone else was something he couldn't bear.

"Bob… it wouldn't be that bad…" Miriam frowned. "It would only be for a little while…"

He could hear her words; the desperation that she couldn't hide. He wanted to be good for her. He wanted their family to be prosperous. That was his job as a man but look at him now. Bob stared around their motel room and then back at himself. He needed to do something and fast to make up for the lost income. Big Bob opened up his flip phone and began to rummage through his contacts.

Miriam sighed and placed the newspaper back down. How long were they going to stay like this? She understood that these turns of events were causing him mental strain but sitting when you should be moving wasn't going to get them anywhere. That was when she decided there was only one option for her at this point, and that was to apply at a job herself. Getting up, she walked over to her purse and looked through it. She had a little bit more cash and would use this money to get her a decent set of clothes in order to look presentable to employers, with or without her husband alongside her.

"I'm going out." She stated as she slung her purse on her shoulder. "I'll be back in a bit."

The news caused her husband to look up in surprise. "Where are you going?"

"I just thought a nice walk would help my mood…" She lied, knowing full well if she admitted her plan to him that he would try and stop her.

Bob waved her off and continued to look through his phone, causing his wife to leave without another word.

"He's gotta be in here somewhere…" Bob said to himself as he continued to scroll through his contacts. As much as he wanted to be able to use the money they had left to buy their house back, he knew it was stupid to jump in head first to another financial debt without anything to help him float. He needed money to get the house and keep it, and for that he would need income. Having been in the business, Bob had gained many contact and a few of them still owed him some favors which he was now planning on collecting. With a few more scrolls down his contact list, he finally got to the name in question: Nick Vermicelli. "That sleazebag owes me big from that last stunt he pulled…" He murmured to himself before pressing the call button.

After a few rings, a man answered the line. "Hello?" He asked suspiciously.

"Hey Nick," Bob started with a deep manly voice. "You still in cahoots with that guy who could get me a good deal on manufacturing cell phones? I need to call in that favor you owe me from screwing me over with Sheck."

Nick gulped on the other end. "Yeah, yeah. I know him. You looking to go back into the tech business? I could call in a few favors."

Bob repositioned himself on the old bed to relieve the ache in his lower back. "Do what you have to. My family needs this money and I need to get back to work." He explained, placing his hand on his forehead in defeat. "Don't you dare do anything funny, you hear me? Just talk to the guy, make the plans and we'll meet him together."

The line was quiet for a moment. "Where do you expect to set up shop? I heard your place burned down. You can't sell without a place. You need a place, Bob? I heard they're planning on tearing down the old meat packaging plant in Smithington. That whole area is being redone and an outlet mall will be put in its place. My brother happens to be working for that construction team. I could ask him if there isn't anything already available for you to move on into… you know, if you already got the cash needed." Nick explained smoothly.

There was one thing Bob could always rely on, and it was Nick and his contacts. The guy may have been one of the shadiest characters in his career, but he certainly knew people and that's what Bob needed. "No funny business, Nick or I'll snap that neck of yours with two fingers. You hear me? I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah." Nick reassured. "No funny business, I swear. Do you have the money or not?"

Bob sighed and thought of what little he had left. "I have the money… but you better not upcharge me. I'm expecting a discount for all that crap you pulled a few years ago."

"I promise! Scouts honor, my friend." Nick said with a bit of humor. "Lemme call my brother. I'll get back to you by tomorrow."

"Why not today?" Bob asked angrily. He had grown tired of waiting.

"These things take time, Bob. Not everyone is sitting on their butt watching TV all day. Some of us have things to do. You understand." His words cut deep but Bob let them go. "Tomorrow, I promise." Nick finished.

Bob hung up the phone and threw it to the end of the bed. This was his best chance at getting his family afloat again but he hated that he had to stoop to such levels. This would have never happened to… him. Bob thought as he grit his teeth. Images of his past started to flash before his eyes.

Originally born in Hungary, Bob was the youngest of two siblings and the son of a very lucrative business man named Stephan Pataki. After opening one of the biggest auto parts retail stores in the area, the Pataki's grew in wealth and eventually would expand and move to the USA. When Bob was around 10 years old, his father told his sons that once one of them came of age and proved worthy, that they would inherit the business in the US, while he would go back to the motherland to continue to control the company there. This would not be a problem at first, but as Bob grew older he would notice that his elder brother Peter was becoming his father's favorite. Tall, slender and charismatic like his father, Peter had the makings of a smooth businessman within him while Bob remained stout built and athletic with a hot attitude that led him into getting in trouble more often than not. Bob began to resent his eldest brother and decided it was better for him to explore other options in life than to fight for his father's attention and approval.

At the age of 18, he had decided to enlist into the military and put to use his brute strength. There, he would strive and would move from base to base until eventually ending up in Fort Bennett, South Dakota where he would meet Miriam at a college bar. It didn't take long for them both to hit it off, as she was beautiful, smart, funny and from a good family. He admired everything about her, as her parents supported everything she wanted from day one, where his choices were always questioned and criticized. Deciding he wanted nothing more than to settle down with his new wife and start his own business, Bob left the military in hopes of achieving more than his family ever thought he could.

At first it was hard, causing Miriam to drop out of college and quit the swim team to support Bob while he took odd jobs and made a name for himself. This would lead to her parents disapproving and cutting off all financial help for the two and leaving Miriam to shut herself in even further. Bob hated seeing his wife like this and eventually decided it would be better if they moved further west where neither family could impede on their happiness. Odd job after odd job, Bob gained friends and found talent in sales.

Sales would turn into an open door for them both and eventually the two had enough money to start up Bob's Tech N Spec. His business started slow but as technology became more and more relied upon, he knew that he needed to move them forward the same way his father had originally done. Things were looked prosperous for the two for a while, but soon Bob would lose one of his business partners as well as a few of his trusted manufacturing companies and had to start again. This made them pick up and move once more until finding the small city of Hillwood and planting their seed company. Olga was soon on the way and things were brighter than ever causing Bob's to turn into Big Bobs Beepers and business was booming! Everyone seemed to be needing his merchandise and the cash was flowing in like he had never dreamed. They bought the house, Olga was born and nothing could stand in the man's way. But underneath his prosperity and happiness, a remnant of his past continued to haunt the man.

Day after day, he still seemed to loom in the shadow of his elder brother and father. Periodically they would get together and the family would be whole, but it never took long for a fight to occur and this ultimately caused Bob to completely disinherit his family all together. That was when he decided to never speak to them again. Helga was born soon after but even she was never allowed to know her family from afar, only ever hearing stories from Miriam when she was in her usual drunken stupor.

Bob hated where he was. He looked around the dank room and could only image his brother laughing at his misfortune from someone in his nice penthouse in California. Rage started to form in the large man and he lashed out at the bed's headboard with a large pound of his fist.

"I won't fail…" He said to himself, gritting his teeth as hard as he could. "You'll never be better than me." He imagined his brother laughing at him, calling him names and hiding behind his father; his father sneering at him with disgust. How could he let this happen to his family?

Miriam walked around Hillwood aimlessly for a while until finding herself in front of a department store. With her bag clutched in her hand, she entered the automatic doors and walked inside. It had been quite a while since she went clothes shopping and the amount of people browsing, mixed with all sorts of sounds started to overwhelm the woman.

Taking a deep breath in, Miriam analyzed her surroundings until eyeing the sign attached to their ceiling reading "women's clothing". Without any thoughts, she wandered that way until she found the selection. At first she browsed through a few racks until deciding they weren't her style at all. Low cut shirts, ripped jeans and practically see-through garments were far too revealing for what she had in mind so she continued to go forward. Next, she found dresses and leggings and considered them for a moment. Dresses could look nice so long as they weren't too flashy. Miriam touched a few to check their material before deciding that they would be too thin for the upcoming weather and gave them a pass. Finally, after a little more searching, she came across button up tops and slacks and knew this was the look she wanted.

The feeling was exhilarating to be able to pick things for herself without someone nagging for her to hurry up and Miriam wondered why she didn't do this more often. A smile found itself placed upon her lips as she continued to looked through various wears until she found herself holding a set of clothes, a new purse, new shoes and a few accessories to match it all. This will do. I don't want to go too overboard. She thought as she approached the checkout line. In front of her was a mother and daughter who seemed to be arguing.

"But Mommy I want it!" The little girl shouted, "I need it! You never get me anything!"

The mother did her best to hold in all of her frustrations. "We don't have enough, dear. Maybe next time." She said in a soothing voice, looking apologetic to the customers and employees around her.

Miriam wondered how her own girls were doing and a guilty feeling came across her. Was she wrong for buying new things for herself while she had no idea how well her youngest was doing? Was Olga happy where she was in Alaska? Were they both warm and healthy? Looking back down at her items, she started to second guess her decisions. Was it okay to buy these things? A nagging feeling overcame her and she remembered all of the times she had spent their money on alcohol to help her cope with her life. Was this any different?

"Next in line." A cashier called out and Miriam came back to the present and noticed that it was her. She walked over to the cashier and laid her things out on the belt.

"Hello." She said shyly as she moved forward. The cashier seemed to be in another world and Miriam looked around again. She wondered if maybe they were hiring as the atmosphere wasn't too bad and the employees didn't seem too miserable. "Do you like working here?" She asked the cashier.

"Pays the bills." The girl replied as she finished ringing up the fashion items. "That will be $89.95."

The price made Miriam jump but she knew there was no going back at this point. She had the money and didn't want to seem silly by putting some of the items back. Fumbling in her old purse, she pulled out her wallet and handed the girl $90. "This should cover it…" She said with a little embarrassment of her situation. This was a lot more than I intended on spending…. She thought sadly. The cashier handed Miriam her change and bags before wishing her a good day.

With her new things in tow, Miriam headed back out of the department store and into the open breeze. Part of her felt good for taking care of herself but the other part still doubted if she was doing the right thing. Now she would have to go back to the motel and hide her purchases in the trunk of their car in hopes of her husband not finding them and questioning them. Whenever she had an interview with a possible employer, she would quickly change in the car and drive there in secret and this was for the best for everyone.

Walking in the direction she had once came from, Miriam continued to plan out how she was going to do all of this without her husband knowing until a familiar blond boy in a small blue hat passed her unknowingly. Standing there for a moment, Miriam decided she should approach him.

"E-excuse me!" She called out to him with her arm stretched out. "A-aren't you Helga's little friend?"

Arnold heard the woman's voice and turned around. "Mrs. Pataki?" He replied, in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh… I was doing a little shopping for myself." She admitted, another pain of guilt washing through her. "How's… How's Helga doing?"

He looked upon the woman and could see that she was struggling with something. "She's doing fine." He replied, adjusting his backpack a little bit. "Everyone at the boarding house seems to like her so she's getting a little more comfortable than before."

Miriam forced a smile as she attempted to quell the misery within her. "That's good!" She said, slowly approaching the boy. "S-she's not having trouble, is she? At school or anything?"

Arnold shook his head. "Not to my knowledge."

Remembering how she had given Helga the bit of money she had on her the last time she saw her daughter, Miriam wondered if she ever did get the things she needed. "She doesn't need anything, does she?" With that, she shuffled back in her purse and pulled out another $30 and handed it to the boy. "Give this to her… Just in case." She finished with small a sigh of relief.

Arnold took the money and stared at it for a moment before placing it in his pocket. "I'll give this to her the next time I see her." He looked upon the weathered woman and felt a little sorry for her. It was clear to him that even though she wasn't the best mom; she at least cared for her daughter which he wasn't sure he could actually say for her husband. "How are you guys doing?"

The question took Miriam off guard. "We're… we're okay!" She said with wavering conviction. "Thank you for asking…"

He heard the depression in her voice and wondered if it was really true. As much as he wanted to dig a little deeper to find out more about the truth of their situation, Arnold knew it was getting later in the day and he would have to catch the city bus home in order to get back before the streetlights came on. "Well it was nice seeing you, Mrs. Pataki." Arnold said with a smile. "Stop by any time to visit her. I'm sure she would enjoy seeing you guys."

The offer was nice but Miriam knew better and her face showed it. "T-thank you… Alfred."

"It's Arnold." He corrected with a nervous scratch to the back of his arm.

"Right!" Miriam replied anxiously. "How silly of me… Thank you, Arnold. I would but… I really don't think it would be best right now." She said with another tired sigh. "Helga needs time to herself and I think seeing us will only make her angrier…"

Despite knowing the woman was right, Arnold couldn't let her statement slide without giving her a little input. "Helga may be…" He searched his thoughts for the best way to describe the girl, "a little complicated but I think the more she saw you guys trying and showing that you care… I think she'll come around a little more."

His words stirred the mother inside her and she started to feel even worse. "You're right…" She said sadly.

Arnold reached out and touched the woman on the arm, causing her to look up at him. "Just think about it." He reassured her warmly. "I gotta go; my bus will be here soon. It was nice seeing you, Mrs. Pataki." He finished before walking away, slowly picking up his pace into a jog to his intended bus stop.

Miriam watched the boy as he disappeared behind a corner and she clutched her bags harder in an attempt to stable her emotions. What kind of mother was she to rely in a young boy to take care of her child? She needed to put an end to all of this and if Bob wasn't going to move forward in the right direction, she would. I'm almost a 50 year old woman. What kind of life am I living?! She yelled at herself inside as she continued to walk back to the motel. I have to do everything I can to make things right… with Bob, with Helga and with myself.

As she rounded a corner, Miriam noticed a help wanted sign inside a tax preparation store and a light lit up in her mind. It was the fall and that's when everyone decided to get their things together in order to prepare for income taxes. I… I can do that! She realized with a smile and with that, she walked into the building with her head held high. "I'd like to speak to the hiring manager, please!"

Back at the boarding house, Helga found herself sitting at her desk and doing one of her English assignments. With a pen cap in her mouth, she chewed while she answered the questions on her paper and looked back into her text book for some references. God, this homework is so boring… She thought to herself as she scribbled more answers down. She had been at it for probably an hour and could feel her stomach begin to growl. The thought of running down to the kitchen to fetch a bag of chips or something sounded like a good idea, but she still couldn't really bring herself to just barge on in like she owned the place and delve in their cupboards. I bet Arnold has a stash somewhere in his room... She thought as she pushed herself from the desk and got up.

Helga opened her bedroom door and looked to the left and right. No one was around. "Coast is clear…" She whispered as she crept to the string that hung from the ceiling. Slowly, she pulled it down in hopes of it not causing any noise. "He probably wouldn't mind if I just hung out in his room for a while…" She said to herself as she quietly walked up his stairs, a few of them creaking in protest. His door opened with ease and revealed the sanctuary behind it.

Walking in slowly, Helga breathed in deep to bask in all the glory it had to offer. The home of her beloved was filled with everything him and when by herself, she felt like bursting with excitement. "Don't lose sight of why we're here…" She reminded herself as she looked around. "There's bound to be a stash somewhere…" Helga looked to his bed and noticed that his pillow and blankets were now positioned at the foot of his bed, rather than their original spots. Silently questioning it, her eyes then observed the little sliding doors nearby.

With interest, she walked over there and slid it open. "Bingo!" She said cheerfully as she noticed what looked to be a small cardboard box with various snacks in them. "Every normal kid has something like this, even the Football head."

After taking a few snack size candy bars and a small bag of chips, she felt pleased with her selection and headed back to the door. That's when the girl noticed his computer in the distance and a thought flickered in her mind. I never did respond to that creep, did I? She thought as she slowly walked over to it. Her reflection stared back at her in a warped way as she looked into the black monitor and she frowned. Really, she had no real want to respond to him and to continue this farce, but at the same time if she didn't reply he would probably continue whatever he was currently doing behind her back and, despite him being a creep, she really didn't want him to get in trouble in her name. Just what does he get from trying to be a martyr? She wondered as she booted up Arnolds computer without much thought to his privacy.

Helga sat down in his computer chair and propped her feet on the side of the desk. Opening the bag of chips, she happily popped one in her mouth and crunched it loudly. The flavors spread throughout her mouth and she could feel chills down in her stomach. Was it just because of how hungry she was or was it more delicious on account of her stealing it with no one noticing? Helga thought of how predictable Arnold was at his hiding spot and shook her head. He's not even creative. I need to go back in that hiding spot and see what else the little dweeb has hidden in there. Her eyes widened at the possibilities and she found herself giggling a little to herself. I'm such a loon…

The computer finished starting and a password screen glared back at her. "So you think you're gonna stop me, huh?" She asked it with a challenge before cracking her knuckles. "Think again. He's got as much creativity as a bucket of water."

With ease, she typed in the password and got it on the first try, causing the computer to light up and show the desktop. Helga had seen his computer a few times and it was pretty basic so getting it to open up a browser and going to the schools homepage and reaching her student email was simple enough. Why does this feel so wrong? She wondered as she went to the last message that was sent to her. I'm just gonna reply to the little freak and making myself clear to him that he needs to stop. I don't need his help and never did. Sure, it's nice to have someone looking out for me in the background but this? This is a little much…

Helga reread his last message and sighed. "Oh well, it's now or never…"

"To: GoldenHero
From: Helgoth
Subject: Enough's enough,

Brainy, I thought I made myself perfectly clear that this needed to stop. I have looked over our emails and I'm pretty sure I know what's going on now. Don't worry, your illegal acts will be safe with me but you need to stop now. I don't need your help and never asked for it. Like I said before, I appreciate the thought but this is going overboard.

As far as your question about my family… nothing has changed and nothing will. No, I never heard back from Olga but at the same time, how would I? How would she know where I'm staying or how to get in touch with me? Honestly, her intervening would probably only complicate things further at this point. I don't know what my parents are doing and I honestly don't care. The one thing I DO know is Bob has caught on to your scam and is trying to reverse it. Fix it before someone catches you and this comes back to hurt you. It will hurt for a lot longer than just a punch in the face.

-Helgoth"

"Done…" She said as she hit send. "Let's hope this gets through his thick skull…"

"Helga?"

In panic, Helga immediately exited the webpage and stood up in hopes of her body hiding the screen. In front of her was Arnold, looking rather confused. "A-Arnold!" She said nervously, "What brings you here?!"

"This… is my room." He replied with a raise of his eyebrow. Slowly he started to walk closer to her, curious at what she was hiding. "And the door was wide open. The better question is why are you here?"

His slow advance towards her only made her panic more and she felt around the monitor with one of her hands and quickly turned off the screen. "Nothing!" She yelped.

"Nothing?" He repeated, finally about a foot from her. He could see how nervous she was and knew that if he made one wrong move, she would run away. "It doesn't look like nothing."

"I... I w-was…" she stammered; looking back and forth from him and the computer screen and slowly drifting to the left to move away from them both. "I was just looking up something for our English assignment!" The excuse seemed logical enough and Helga decided to roll with it. "Y-yeah! That's it. Our English assignment."

"The English assignment?" He mused before looking back at his black screened computer. He could hear that it was still up and running but decided not to investigate until after things were calmed down.

"Yep!" Helga insisted with a nod of her head. "I just didn't understand something so I decided maybe the internet had more information and what did you know! It totally did so I'll just be on my way back to my room to finish that homework now…" That's when she noticed the small candies and empty bag of chips left on the desk. Damn… How am I supposed to explain that?! He's gonna know I went through his things… Helga began to sweat.

"If you say so…" Arnold replied with a small smile as he picked up the snacks in question and handed them to her. "I'm going to assume these are yours?"

Helga snatched the food away and made more backwards steps to his still open bedroom door. "I was hungry?" She shrugged.

"You know you can always just go downstairs and get something from the kitchen, right?" He asked, clearly amused by her act. "I've told you before, Helga. You're welcome here and you don't have to sneak into my room and grab my things. I'll let it slide this one time but next time…" Giving her a devilish grin, the boy crossed his arms. "Next time I won't be so forgiving."

With a gulp, she fumbled to find the door handle until she grasped it. He's not mad…? She wondered. His grin was suggestive and she could feel herself calming down a little. This wasn't the first time he had found her in his room and she knew it probably wouldn't be the last either. Maybe Arnold was just used to it at this point?

"Well… I better be getting back to my homework now…" She said with a hint of sadness. Homework was really the last thing on her mind and the thought of spending more alone time with him in his room was far more appealing, but she knew if she stayed any longer that he would probably ask more questions she wasn't interested in answering.

"Good luck." Arnold smiled softly as he watched her turn away and leave the room. He felt like he was forgetting something but when remembered the money he had for her in his pocket, she was long gone. "Oh well, I'll give it to her later." He said to himself as he placed his backpack on the ground to begin his own homework.

Meanwhile on the other side of town, a ding rang out from Brainy's computer and it only took a fraction of a second for him to quickly click the notification that popped up on the right corner of his screen. His heart started the beat faster and faster while his program exited for the more important task at hand.

It only took a moment for him to open and read the mail, and soon his heart was racing for another reason. Brainy brought his thumb to his lips and began to chew the tip of his nail. She had figured out his plan and her father was a step closer to finding him. What should I do…? He wondered as he continued to chew. The possible outcomes had still not changed. If he let go of the only leverage he had on her life to possibly become better, then it could get worse. If he held on to it, the likelihood of him being found out continued to climb every second that passed. It was obvious that her father was going to look into the missing bit of money he should have, but there was just no way of telling how in depth the outside forces were going to look into him and if they were tactical enough to find him. Again the question was brought into his mind. Was he a gambling man? The thought of him getting thrown in jail wasn't exactly the worst thing in the world but even if that did happen, would all of this had been for naught? Had he stalled Big Bob enough from throwing his money away in an attempt to fix his life? Was he even a little wiser to the strain his decisions had on his family? Maybe in the end, it didn't matter though…

Brainy realized his thumb nail was chewed to the quick and sighed. It didn't matter really because his adored demanded he reverse the curse he had placed on Bobs account. Even if he felt that holding on to this hope was in her best interest, could he really bring himself to go against her wishes? With a few clicks from his mouse, Brainy found himself into the heart of a program that had encrypted the files in question. All he had to do was click one button and everything would be restored, yet Brainy continued to stare at his screen; unmoving. It seems too soon… He told himself. Just one more day… One more day and I'll release you…

Arnold finished all of his homework and properly placed everything back inside his backpack. The curiosity of what she had really been doing on his computer continued to nag at him and before long, Arnold found himself turning back on the monitor. The old thing flickered a few times before it allowed him to see the desktop. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

"It's pretty unusual for Helga to need help with school…" He wondered to himself as he clicked his mouse on the web browser. "And it would have been easy for her to just ask Phoebe or even me if that was the case."

The screen flashed bright at Arnold's command and maximized the browser to the last thing it had once been on. After a few moments of loading all the graphics, it showed Arnold just what he was looking for.

"The student message board…?" He asked out loud.

With a few more clicks, the boy navigated the site until stumbling onto the very thing he sought: many emails sent back and forth between her and Brainy. Arnold combed through them all slowly. At first it was just general curiosity but before long, he began to feel confused and even a little betrayed.

"What is all of this?" He asked himself with anger slowly rising. Once he got to the final email that she had just sent, it only confused him even further.

Without a moment to waste, he knew he needed answers. Arnold got up and raced down his stairs in route to her room but the moment he touched her doorknob, he heard the triangle ringing downstairs to indicate that dinner was ready. Suddenly, all the doors in the hallway flung open as all the boarders headed to their meal, with the exception of Helga's. Standing there awkwardly, the disruption had pulled him from his irate thoughts and caused him to rethink things for a moment. Helga had many secrets and he knew it was up to her if she wanted to share them with him. This was her private affair and he had no business butting in. On many occasions in the past, Helga had voiced her opinions on Arnold sticking his nose where it didn't belong so would it really be wise to confront her? On the other hand, she had neglected his own privacy by entering his room without permission, taking his food without asking and using his computer to contribute to these private emails. The conflicting opinions bounced around in the boy's head for a while before being interrupted by the door in front of him finally opening.

Helga stood there with a questioning look, causing Arnold to take a step back.

"Food's ready." He found himself saying, completely shutting out all of the thoughts he had just had in hopes of finding a better solution later; one that didn't involve him losing his cool over something he didn't quite understand.

"Yeah, I heard." She replied with an obvious face before heading in that direction. "You gonna come down or just stand there like a dimwit?"

Arnold tried to pick up all of his lost motives and decided to follow her down to the kitchen. He could feel the money her mother had given her still in his pocket and knew he would need to talk to her later anyway. This wasn't something he needed to deal with right now.